Happy Lunar New Year!
by Kokoro Rin
Summary: Italy Italy Italy, oh where home is. However, I-pin was feeling a little down, as she did not receive any red packets from her master this year. Noticing her lack of spirit, Lambo tells his big brother. Now, what would the Vongola do about it? Fic contains a lot of Chinese Characters. Refer to translation at the bottom [COMPLETE]
1. Chapter 1

It has been a while since she had left China for Japan, a while since she last saw those precious Chinese goodies and a while since she had last seen a house painted in red and gold. She missed wearing the bright red cheongsam that her mother stitched before she died.

The only thing that remained constant was her master's red packet for her. Every year, an allowance of five hundred Euro would be given to her as per tradition by him, and she was content with just that. No one celebrated of the season in Japan, much less Italy.

She sat on the couch in the living room with her head bowed. She is now twelve, still living with the Sawadas and attending school at Namimori Elementary with Lambo. Every school holiday, however, was spent in Italy. The family is still as crazy, Fon comes around every month to check on her and Hibari-san takes good care of her when she goes to his place to get a reprieve from the rambunctious house.

Lambo walks over with a lollipop in hand, silently handing the sweet over to her as he noticed the gloom surrounding her.

"I-Pin, what's wrong?"

She sighed and looked at the door. "_Shifu*_ isn't coming this year–"

The raven head lifted an eyebrow and looked at the door as well before it clicked. Right, Fon would usually come over around this time of the month and would always give her a really hefty red packet.

"–No one's coming home for the new year this year." She mumbled, but Lambo heard it loud and clear.

"New year? Like the one from last month? When we did the Vongola-styled celebration with Big brother Tsuna and the rest?"

She shook her head, tearing the wrapper of the lollipop. "It's the Lunar New Year, or what many called 'Chinese New Year'. It's a celebration, a huge festival. Back in China, my family would go to our relatives' place to exchange greetings, eat lots of good food and have fun together. It's a very festive event! But, after _Shifu_ took me in, we didn't have the chance to do so anymore but he would always give me red packets as per tradition." I-Pin explained.

Lambo's eyebrows creased in recognition. Red packets... red packets... AH!

"Was it the red packet that Fon-san brought around this time of the year all the time?"

"Yes..." She replied, unconsciously slipping into Chinese. Her friend frowned for a moment, then grinned as an idea popped up in mind.

"How long does this festival last?"

I-Pin blinked, about to answer when she linked the question to his purpose of asking. Her eyes grew wide in alarm. No one needs to burden themselves to make her happy! They do not celebrate the new year here, it is normal! There is no need to drag Big Brother Tsuna into her problem!

"No! Don't tell Tsuna-san! It's okay! I'll be fine passing this year's new year by staying with all of you! With Lambo, Tsuna-san, and everyone else here, I'm content!"

Lambo just kept quiet. Just then, the boy's shoulders start to shake as he began to sob "I just want to know how long this festival lasts... Is that wrong?"

I-Pin knew that he was just acting, trying to force an answer out of her. Those crocodile tears were so obvious, but she did not know what to do to stop him. She sighed and replied.

"15 days."

Instantly, Lambo looked at her with sparkling eyes –ones that looked like they were up to mischieve and I-Pin knew that she should NOT have given him the answer. Now he is going to tell Tsuna-san that she missed the Chinese holidays and the whole family is going to make her feel at home now.

"You'll be fine, I-Pin! Even if you don't have Fon-san this time, we'll be the substitutes! We're family after all."

"Yes yes..."

* * *

\- Timeskip -

* * *

It is the seventh day of the festival, and five days after she told Lambo about the Chinese New Year. For the last few days, there were no crazy set-ups, no frantic whispers that told her something was happening and absolutely no one from the Vongola's Inner echelon in the mansion.

(Lambo was out on a mission with Chrome two days ago, a simple one that Tsuna-san had for them.)

Hibari-san recently passed her the red packet from her master, which she gladly took and thanked the cloud for the favour.

(The man 'Hn'ed and left.)

Tsuna-san is still signing the huge stack of papers that just came in today, and the stack showed no signs of completion. I-Pin just sat nearby, watching him work while pulling his hair out in frustration.

"Tsuna-san, do you need help?"

The brunet turned to the Chinese girl and smiled. Well, as best as he could anyway. "It's all right, I-Pin. However, can you please help me sort these papers out? They've been signed on already."

"It'll be my pleasure!" She replied, leaping off the couch and joining Tsuna at his mahogany table. Both of them worked silently –Tsuna getting things done quicker because of I-Pin's help.

While in the middle of working, Tsuna suddenly piped up. "I-Pin, what do you want to have for dinner? It's just the two of us today so I thought we could go out and grab something to eat."

I-Pin blinked in surprise. "No chefs today?"

"Nope. They're all on holiday this week. I told them to go rest."

"Ah, no wonder we've had take-outs this entire week."

"Haha, your Japanese sure had improved, I-Pin."

"Thank you, Tsuna-san!" She cheered. Back to the initial question, which has been hanging for a while, she answered. "Can we have Chinese today?"

His eyes seemed to sparkle at the idea as he nodded his head to the suggestion. "That's a great idea! I've been wanting to try the Chinese restaurant that Angeline* recommended last week... Or is it hers?"

"Huh? Angeline _Jiejie_* has a restaurant?"

Tsuna nodded his head again. "Yeah, she couldn't stand the restaurants here so she said, and let me quote: The Chinese Food here sucks! They need to have authentic Chinese recipes, not those mock-up ones that is adapted for the people here! Haha!"

I-Pin giggled, applauding her big brother figure for the good imitation of their informant. "Well then, let's do our best!"

The two of them kept working until six in the evening. Tsuna finished up the last of his papers while I-Pin filed the last of the documents. As the girl placed the final document on the selected stack, the duo slumped onto their seats and heaved a sigh of relief.

"All right, we're both hungry. So let's go!" The sky guardian declared and promptly walked out of the office. His companion trailed behind him beaming.

Well, they are going to eat Chinese today, and she has been craving for it ever since the festive period started.

Tsuna drove the two of them to this slightly isolated place near the edge of Palermo and parked his car in the car park available. They arrived at a small building with minimal design and entered.

"There's a Chinese restaurant here, on the second floor... ah, there it is! Come on I-Pin, I've been dying to try this restaurant!"

"The restaurant or Angeline _Jiejie_?"

"How about both?" Tsuna responded with a cheeky grin. I-Pin laughed merrily and followed her brother into the restaurant. A waitress stood at the entrance with a polite smile as she bowed.

Asian Hospitality is nostalgic.

"Have you got a booking, sir?" She inquired.

"Yes, under Angeline."

"Oh right! Boss said she had guests coming over today. Well, let me lead you there." She did as she said and brought them to an elegant door. Before they entered, the waitress bent down to I-Pin's height.

"小妹，你应该是I-Pin吧！大姐说的没错，你真的好可爱啊!"

Red blossomed on I-Pin's cheeks as the waitress complimented her. "谢谢您。"

"不用客气！那我现在就不打扰你们了。享用你们的餐吧！祝你新年快乐!"

The girl thanked the lady and followed behind Tsuna (once he knew they were done conversing). They stepped into the well-furnished dining area and she saw major surprises at the table.

Her whole family (the Vongola) sat around the dining table, there was a huge plate of _yusheng*_on the table and lastly, her master stood at the door with his usual gentle smile. She stood frozen at the entrance, speechless at the sight.

"Hi guys, we're here!" Tsuna greeted and went for his seat (the one between Gokudera and Yamamoto was empty).

"I-Pin, why are you still standing there? Come, sit with us." Fon slowly pushed the starstruck girl into the room and onto her seat. Hibari, who sat next to her, nodded his head in acknowledgement.

"Now that the main guest is here, let's eat!" Lambo cheered, picking up the chopsticks with practised ease.

"Hey, Lambo! Respect the Chinese customs at least before digging in! Besides, no one said that the platter in front of you is ready!" Angeline stormed in, her eyes lit with the passion for food. The lightning guardian shrank back to his seat in fear. The brunette huffed and stalked over to the table, her feet gradually easing into light steps before standing right between her and Hibari.

"If you'll excuse me. Fon-san, may I?"

"你是主人，当然行。"

"All right! I'm gonna bend the rules a little if the two of you don't mind because we obviously do not need 遍地黄金 or 招财进宝 or 一本万利 with the amount of money we have. As long as our inner echelon doesn't squander them because of damages." She shot an evil-eye at the destructive guardians, especially the mist and the cloud. Hibari scoffed while Mukuro just chuckled his usual creepy laughter.

The process was hilarious to I-Pin. None of them spoke Chinese so they had no idea what Angeline said as she poured the ingredients over the plate.

"祝大家新年快乐，万事如意!"

"哦！／啊。" Fon and I-Pin replied. The others simply followed the two Chinese, being lost to how exactly they should react. Lambo used his entire vigour to match I-Pin's, cheering at the same volume as the girl.

"祝大家年年有余！大吉大利！财原广进！鸿运当头！青春常驻或青春美丽！步步高升！金银满屋！甜甜蜜蜜！一家平安!" Angeline would like to applaud the entire Vongola family, they just went along with every phrase she said (not that she cursed them or anything).

"All right, I'm done! 你们慢用吧!" The brunette owner said, taking a step back from the table before approaching Tsuna, kissing the crown of his head. The sky guardian chuckled at her affection then she dismissed herself, going to the other customers.

"Now, what are we suppose to do?" Yamamoto asks, staring at the plate eagerly.

"We toss! Take your chopsticks and follow my lead!" I-Pin said, totally in her element now. She dug her chopsticks into the heap of shredded food and flicked them into the air. "捞啊！"

Fon joined her and did the same, now adding several phrases too that made his pupil laugh heartily. The rest soon followed, throwing in their own well wishes for the year in Japanese or Italian.

Hours of good food passed and I-Pin's heart was bursting in joy after dinner. She ran up to the boy that had most likely sparked the event and hugged Lambo tightly, whispering her gratitude to him while ignoring the others' gazes. The boy merely patted her back in a consoling motion, but there was a hint of satisfaction in his action.

Angeline then walks out of the restaurant with Tsuna, the two of them hand-in-hand. As soon as she saw them, she broke off and walked over to the two children. She then whips out two red packets, much to I-Pin's delight and Lambo's curiosity. She passes the first one to the girl.

"It is still a tradition that the married one gives the others the red packets. I'm not married yet, but I think you'll appreciate my sentiments. I-Pin. 我就在这祝你学业进步，身体健康，还有快高长大，所以你能变成一个弟弟会喜欢的人。"

At the last comment, the little girl's face turned beet red. Angeline burst into jovial laughter until Fon unceremoniously whacks her head.

"They are still young, Angeline. Should I wish you an early yet blissful marriage instead? And for future children?"

"Hehe... No thanks."

Angeline then turns to Lambo and passed him his red packet. "I wish you better studies as well, faster growth and a healthier mindset. No more crying over small matters, you hear me? It's about time you grow a spine."

"Yes, ma'am."

Angeline chuckled and ran her fingers through his hair. "Love you, Lambo. I'll miss you."

"Thanks, Big Sis."

"C'mere I-Pin." She extends her arm to wrap both of the children in an embrace. "I won't be seeing you all for a while, so no fighting okay?"

They nodded mutely -the promise isn't going to be kept anyway.

Quickly, all of them bid their goodbyes to one another, each person either returning to their jobs or taking a separate vehicle to head home. I-Pin lingered for a bit more while waiting for Tsuna to finish whatever business he had with his "wife".

"I know, I know. I'll be careful, all right? Geez, you're worrying too much. The kid and I will be fine!" She heard her big sister figure's exasperated cries. Tsuna chuckled and gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

"Nights, Principessa."

"Yes yes, Prince charming. Now go, your charge is waiting."

Tsuna turned to I-Pin and quickly jogged to the car, with said charge running behind him too. They slipped into the car and the older started the engine. The girl twirled her fingers, a question popping up inside her head.

"Since when has Angeline_ jie jie_ been expecting a child? No, the better question is, the two of you are married?!"

"Done in secret. The inner circle knows, but we didn't announce it because she doesn't want to be involved in the mafia anymore. Not that she could ever truly escape from the dark."

"But she said she wasn't married!"

"It is a secret! A secret marriage done official, privately in the mansion's church!"

"So you dragged her back to hell by marrying her?"

"Hope not. There's a 24/7 surveillance on her, as well as an illusion. Sir Coyote now lives with her as well." Tsuna replied, chuckling a little at his own answer. The girl rolled her eyes but grinned anyway. He did not say whether the child was his, nor did he confirm that Angeline was really expecting a child. At least now she knows the secret to the plain ring on his ring finger.

Oh well.

"What a joyous new year." I-Pin finished.

* * *

~End~

* * *

A/N: I love Angeline from my other one-shot on wattpad "I'm going somewhere I don't know?!". Go check her out, she's an Asian character (not from Japan), hella badass though a tad bit overpowered. She was also, in my other book, a source of temporary freedom sent by Nono and Reborn (the latter dragged her to Japan by forcing a flight ticket on her, knowing that she hates wasted cash).

Today's the eighth day of the CNY celebration, but I would still like to offer some greetings.

祝大家新年快乐! 万事如意，心想事成! 身体健康最重要!  
To those studying, 学业进步!  
To those who own a business, 财源广进，一本万利!  
To the ladies, 青春美丽!  
To the gentlemen, 青春常驻!

All translations:

Shī fù (师父) - Master, teacher  
Jiě Jiě (姐姐) - Big/Older sister. Also used to flatter the older ladies  
Yú shēng (鱼生) - I don't know how to translate this. Lo hei. It's something like a salad that's popularised in the 1960s, though the first dish served was heavily debated for a period of time. One of the fiercest food wars, I read.  
小妹，你应该是I-Pin吧！大姐说的没错，你真的好可爱啊! - Little girl, you must be I-Pin! Big Sis is right, you really are very cute! ['Big Sis' here is something akin to lady boss, but it's a casual address. Lady Boss in Chinese is 老板娘 láo ban3 niáng]  
Xiè xiè ni (谢谢您) - Thank you  
不用客气！那我现在就不打扰你们了。享用你们的餐吧！祝你新年快乐! - You're welcome! I won't disturb you now so go enjoy your food! Happy New Year!  
你是主人，当然行 - You're the owner, of course, you can  
祝大家新年快乐，万事如意! - Wishing you all a Happy New Year, may what you all wish for come true!  
祝大家年年有余！大吉大利！财原广进！鸿运当头！青春常驻或青春美丽！步步高升！金银满屋！甜甜蜜蜜！一家平安！- Wishing everyone abundance, good fortune and luck, wealth, more luck, eternal youth, prosperity, more wealth, sweet and loving relationships and family peace!  
你们慢用吧 - Literally translates to "You guys use slowly". Here it means, enjoy your meal  
I-Pin. 我就在这祝你学业进步，身体健康，还有快高长大，所以你能变成一个弟弟会喜欢的人 - I-Pin, here I am wishing you improvement in studies, good health, as well as speedy growth so that you can become someone that little brother would like  
Lāo à (捞啊) - Literally to fish/scoop

Principessa - Princess

Edit: I found out, credits to onetimetrip, that the Yusheng eaten in Singapore and Malaysia is vastly different from South China. And even in China, it is not a common practice itself. The yusheng eaten in most SEA Chinese Community consist of many ingredients but the original has a lot of raw fish instead. Not that the SEA one has no raw fish, but we don't really have a lot. There's like, 20 slices of salmon or something inside. Also, I don't think our Chinese counterpart toss their food during the celebration. I mean, kinda like 'waste food'. Correct me if I'm wrong, that's what I felt when I looked it up. So I guess this story is not going to abide reality for a little. Do you guys have other experiences? Do share!


	2. Chapter 2

There's gonna be some spoilers here for an upcoming book so read this at your own risk XD

Just kidding. But if you really don't like some character spoiling, it's best you don't read this chapter at all. You can come back and read it again after I published that book though.

This chapter is heavily OC-centric.

* * *

"**Bold**" - Japanese  
"Normal" - English  
Chinese will be in text

* * *

~ Angeline's POV ~

* * *

Yeah, today's the last day of the Chinese New Year Celebration. How much did you guys receive?

I'm joking. Don't tell.

I've been on the giving end this year, for my new little relatives and some of the unmarried older ones. The older ones... Sometimes I wished that they can quickly get married so that I'll have one less person to give the red packets to. Not to mention, they are all working. Are they leeching off my money?

Luckily, cash was never an issue because of my husband and my business in Italy.

"Angie, can you come here?" Her mother called. Today is the last day of the New Year Celebration and as per family tradition, the whole immediate family will congregate at the dining table of the household. Obviously, Tsuna would not be able to make it because of work overseas but everyone else is present. Yes, grandpa is here today as per grandma's insistence.

Our family never made the Lohei ourselves. We're always buying from the markets and the malls. If we were feeling lucky, we would get some from the high-class restaurants in the hotels. Fullerton sells good ones.

Yeah, that hotel that they first stayed in for their mystery trip to Singapore.

I hurried over to my mother, knowing what exactly does she want from me. I laid out the utensils and set the table. From the corner, my two sisters and their companions were racing against each other with the latest Wii console. I am so glad that they've found someone to love, but they are always glaring playfully at me whenever Tsuna is around. I mean come on, give us a break!

Mother then came out with the main dish and placed it in the middle of the table. Wow, the chopsticks placement aren't affected! Then again, I do own a Chinese Restaurant.

"Go wake your grandparents," Father said, appearing behind Mother with a pot of porridge to go with the Lohei. It was said that my Paternal Grandparents always prepared porridge for every Lohei session, and that tradition got passed down to my Father and now, us.

I abided my father's command and headed for my grandparents' room. Lately, the couple loved to sleep, as if trying to catch up on their lost slumber. Welp, that also meant that we had more time to hog the television. Once they use the TV, we descendants won't be able to use them.

"Nonno, grandma, wake up. It's time for dinner!"

Grandpa was first to stir awake and he shooed me away, indicating that he would wake grandma up on his own. I giggled and left, heading for my own room this time.

My room isn't anything fancy. There were renovations made to accommodate Tsuna and me, but generally, nothing much has changed. There were more pictures hung in the room, a huge portrait of the two of us hanging above our bed. The curtains were white and translucent, filtering the harsh sunlight in the morning. The walls were painted in cream yellow, with some brick wallpapers pasted on the main wall. The cupboard to the right and the study desk to the left.

I laid down on the comfy duvet and touched my still-very-flat stomach and caressed it, thinking of the life growing inside my womb. Quietly, I whispered.

"Neh Bambino, we're gonna have the last Lohei of the year in a few minutes. Too bad your Papa can't make it this year."

Then again, Tsuna can't say anything whenever there's a Lohei. He understood its significance but never knew what were the phrases used and what he should say whenever he is involved. I told him to "Say good stuff" but he always kept mum. Thus, the awkwardness a few days ago at the Vongola's CNY celebration. He's still shy after all these years.

Just then the main door clicked open and a familiar voice greeted the family. There were a couple of shouts here and there and hurried footsteps towards my direction. There was a quick "Hi Coyote" in between. I shot up, surprised by his appearance.

"Tsuna?"

The door slammed open, and the said person stood there with a slightly exhausted expression. He must have ran up the stairs instead of waiting for the lift. "Tsuna!"

Said person grinned and scooped me up into his arms, peppering my face with little kisses. The two of us then plopped down on the bed, with the brunet hugging me just below the navel.

"**I thought you won't be coming!**" I cried, hugging the arm of my husband. Tsuna laughed, patting on my head to calm me down. I am pretty calm though, but he liked to do that whenever I'm even a little bit agitated.

"**Laura gave me a call,**" he recalled. "**Threatened and told me that 'It's family tradition so you better come home'. Oh, and she said that I won't be able to see my child be born when he or she does. Thus I knew I have to fly back since this year was no exception to family reunion dinner.**" And we both know how good Laura keeps her promises and threats.

I giggled, snuggling into the comfortable warmth Tsuna gave until the door opened again, this time with Tryphena standing there with a slightly amused face.

"**Yeah, you two can continue doing whatever you're doing. I'll tell Mom that you two aren't coming.**"

The two of us sprung out of bed immediately, with Tsuna chiding me on being a bit more careful for the child, and headed for the dining table where everyone was waiting for us to begin. The sauce, spice and crackers had been added already. Laura or Tryphena must have led the "ceremony" already.

My mother and father smiled at us, the latter passing him his pair of chopsticks since his appearance was a surprise.

"All right," my grandmother begin. "Can Tsunayoshi do us the honours?"

Tsuna blinked in surprise. "Me?"

"Yeah, who else?" Father replied snarkily. "Do you see anyone here that's of Japanese descent?"

Tsuna laughed, now completely comfortable with his father-in-law's harsh but joking comments. "Is it alright if I use English?"

"Of course, but that would also mean we have to start you on Mandarin soon. Are you ready to add another language into your arsenal?" Coyote asked. The brunet just smiled and wrapped an arm around my waist. My cheeks flushed instantaneously at the contact and my younger siblings whistled. I nudged him slightly and he coughed into his fist.

"May we have a good year ahead!"

"捞啊!"

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading the two CNY instalments. Here I wish everyone a happy and meaningful year ahead! God Bless!

Translations:  
Bambino - Baby  
Nonno - Grandfather


End file.
